Turkey Meeting to Press for Peace in Iraq

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, January 20, 2003

Turkey will host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Egypt and Jordan later this week to press for a peaceful solution to U.S.-Iraqi tensions, Turkey's foreign minister said Tuesday.

The gathering represents a push by Arab powers and Turkey to avert a U.S.-led war on Iraq _ even as Washington is pressing Ankara and Iraq's other neighbors to help in any military action.

The meeting will seek ways to persuade Iraq to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors, but will not look to persuade Saddam Hussein to go into exile _ an option the U.S. leaders say they could accept to prevent bloodshed _ Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said.

Washington wants Turkey, a close ally, to allow the use of its bases as a staging ground _ reportedly for up to 80,000 U.S. troops _ to open a northern front against Iraq in any military action. But Turkey, where public opposition to war is strong, has been reluctant to commit.

Turkish officials have said they would only agree to a limited number of U.S. troops in its soil, raising concerns that a northern front would not be militarily effective.

Yakis said Tuesday that Ankara had not yet given its consent on the bases. "We have only authorized our military officials to negotiate with U.S. military officials," he said.

"Military officials from both countries will decide on (a force size) that would not make the northern option meaningless," Yakis said.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia also said Tuesday that the meeting would not seek to press Saddam to step down.

"I think it is incorrect to talk about interference in Iraq's internal affairs," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. "Talk about amnesty or an exile is something that should be determined by the Iraqi people."

"The main point on the agenda of the meeting will be to avoid any military action on Iraq," Prince Saud said.

The foreign ministers will also lay the groundwork for a regional peace summit that is expected to be held in Damascus at a later date.

Iraq has cautiously welcomed a regional meeting if its aim is to avert war. "Turkey's efforts are being appreciated by Iraq," Iraqi Ambassador Talib A. Saleh told reporters after visiting the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on Tuesday.

The meeting comes amid fear in the region that a U.S. attack against Iraq could be destabilizing.

"For the future of humanity and civilization, all decision makers should give an ear to calls for peace rising in the world," Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of Turkey's ruling party, said Tuesday.

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"It is possible to achieve it (peace), especially if the United States contributes to it," Erdogan said.